Using Glow as an Evidence Store

Title: Using Glow as an Evidence Store
Holy Family PS is situated in East Dunbartonshire Council and was recently inspected by HMIE. This cookbook looks at how using Glow as an evidence store the SMT were able to track information quickly and effectively.
In this cookbook we will look at how all staff used Glow to store information and relevant documents and policies that not only meant that they were easy to locate and source but also ensured that all staff had access to information and ensured that communication within all staff was to a very high standard.

Context
East Dunbartonshire was an early adopter to Glow and in February 2008 the DHT attended Glow training for ICT co-ordinators. Upon her return she decided that she would look at ways to encourage staff to use Glow and also ensure that the reason was purposeful and of benefit to the school. At the training it was suggested that there should be four main folders within the Establishment Site, these should be Pupil Communication, Pupil Curriculum, Staff Communication and Staff Curriculum. The DHT then set up these four Glow Groups and created Glow groups within them.
The Staff Communication folder was used to store all relevant documentation for example school policies, which meant that all satff had access to the most up to date copy of these. All paper copies were removed from classrooms. The Staff Communication folder was created as a store were all information relevant to staff would be placed. All Staff members within the Establishment were given contributor rights to this group so that they could read all the information and contribute by uploading and downloading documents, add to the calendar web part and contribute to discussions.
The Head Teacher displayed her committment to the use of Glow by adding it to the School Improvement Plan and by ensuring it was part of PPR for CPD for the session. Time was given to staff at Stage and Staff meetings to develop their skills in Glow and to share good practice. The use of Glow was also added to the agenda for Forward Planning feedback to evaluate how staff were using Glow and adapt the Staff Communications area as a result.

Ingredients

What did the DHT need to create the elements of the Glow Group?

1. A Glow Group
2. Access to Glow Group for all teaching staff members

It was necessary to ensure staff had Contributor rights within the Glow Group to enable them to make changes to the Calendar and upload and download documents in the document store.

In the next section, we will take a look at the ‘Staff Communication’ Glow Group and learn how to recreate elements within it.

Recipe

Video Clip
*What the Staff Communication Glow Group Looks Like

*How to create a Glow Group and add members to the group

*How to Add and re-name pages within a Glow Group

*How to use the news web part as a daily diary, targeting news to members

*How to use daily diary as an archive for learners experiences

*How to create a calendar which lists all school events

Impact
There was a major impact in creating this Glow group. Its initial purpose of ensuring staff have ‘practice’ with Glow was very effective as all Daily Diary events were posted on Glow and so staff were required to log on daily to see if there was any news. There was also the benefit of them becoming familiar with some of the components within Glow, such as uploading and downloading documents so that they were developing a skill base for use with their own Class Glow groups.
Secondly by using this area as storage and communication area it meant that all staff had the most up to date and relevant documentation and we were able to source and locate information very quickly which was particularly effective when HMIE visited as it was stored on Glow.  Also for the HMIE visit it was easy to locate information on Learners’ Experiences through the use of the calendar web part and see clearly the experiences they had had through clubs, visitors, outings, residential trips collated on this web part.

By using Glow to store Forward Planning materials it meant that staff were able to work from home on planning and help fulfil the McCrone agreement, anytime, anywhere working.

Through using Glow the amount of paper required through photocopying has also decreased as there is now no need to print out masters of policies and Forward planning so this has had a financial benefit as well as help support our eco-schools status.

New planners which are created by staff to incorportae CfE are uploaded to this area so that this work is saved and archived and can be used again in the future which has been purposeful as the school has supported probationers and support staff and it means that the work they create is easy accessed in future years.

The Staff Communication area is an evidence store as well as a working area which has been to benefit of all.